Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess the psychological health of Malaysian college students

The primary objective of this study was to assess the psychological health of students at a local university in Malaysia using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Additionally, the study was carried out to determine the reliability and factor structure of the GHQ-12. Sample comprised 386 students...

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Main Authors: Zulkefly, Nor Sheereen, Baharudin, Rozumah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Canadian Center of Science and Education 2010
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/24670/1/24670.pdf
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author Zulkefly, Nor Sheereen
Baharudin, Rozumah
author_facet Zulkefly, Nor Sheereen
Baharudin, Rozumah
author_sort Zulkefly, Nor Sheereen
collection UPM
description The primary objective of this study was to assess the psychological health of students at a local university in Malaysia using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Additionally, the study was carried out to determine the reliability and factor structure of the GHQ-12. Sample comprised 386 students (female=177, male=209) who were selected using multistage cluster sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data required. Results showed that slightly more than half (52.9%) of the respondents scored low on the GHQ-12, and a substantial proportion (47.1%) of them scored high, indicating an unhealthy psychological state. Nevertheless, no differences were observed between the genders. Reliability analysis showed satisfactory results, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.70. Meanwhile, factor analysis revealed that GHQ-12 was a measure of psychological distress, with a three-factor structure (Psychological Distress, Social and Emotional Dysfunction and Cognitive Disorder), which jointly accounted for 51.9% of the variance. The findings of the study therefore affirm that the GHQ-12 is a good measure for assessing the overall psychological well-being of students in Malaysia.
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spelling upm.eprints-246702019-11-26T02:10:01Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/24670/ Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess the psychological health of Malaysian college students Zulkefly, Nor Sheereen Baharudin, Rozumah The primary objective of this study was to assess the psychological health of students at a local university in Malaysia using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Additionally, the study was carried out to determine the reliability and factor structure of the GHQ-12. Sample comprised 386 students (female=177, male=209) who were selected using multistage cluster sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data required. Results showed that slightly more than half (52.9%) of the respondents scored low on the GHQ-12, and a substantial proportion (47.1%) of them scored high, indicating an unhealthy psychological state. Nevertheless, no differences were observed between the genders. Reliability analysis showed satisfactory results, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.70. Meanwhile, factor analysis revealed that GHQ-12 was a measure of psychological distress, with a three-factor structure (Psychological Distress, Social and Emotional Dysfunction and Cognitive Disorder), which jointly accounted for 51.9% of the variance. The findings of the study therefore affirm that the GHQ-12 is a good measure for assessing the overall psychological well-being of students in Malaysia. Canadian Center of Science and Education 2010 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/24670/1/24670.pdf Zulkefly, Nor Sheereen and Baharudin, Rozumah (2010) Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess the psychological health of Malaysian college students. Global Journal of Health Science, 2 (1). pp. 73-80. ISSN 1916-9736; ESSN: 1916-9744 http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/gjhs/article/view/3852 10.5539/gjhs.v2n1p73
spellingShingle Zulkefly, Nor Sheereen
Baharudin, Rozumah
Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess the psychological health of Malaysian college students
title Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess the psychological health of Malaysian college students
title_full Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess the psychological health of Malaysian college students
title_fullStr Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess the psychological health of Malaysian college students
title_full_unstemmed Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess the psychological health of Malaysian college students
title_short Using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess the psychological health of Malaysian college students
title_sort using the 12 item general health questionnaire ghq 12 to assess the psychological health of malaysian college students
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/24670/1/24670.pdf
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